Man found passed out behind wheel of stolen truck, police say

Robert Hardister says he just needed to 'catch a couple of hours of sleep'

Robert Hardister was found passed out behind the wheel of a stolen pickup truck in Jupiter, police say.

JUPITER, Fla. – A Stuart man was arrested last week after he was found passed out behind the wheel of a stolen pickup truck in Jupiter, police said.

Robert Hardister, 25, faces one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Jupiter police said they found Hardister sleeping with his head on the steering wheel of a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck Friday in the parking lot of a Walmart on Indiantown Road.

Police said the truck, which had extensive front-end damage, was reported stolen from Port St. Lucie.

According to a police report, an officer opened the door of the truck, took the key out of the ignition and woke up Hardister, who said he was "fine and that he was just tired."

The report said Hardister told the officer that he paid a friend $20 to borrow the truck so he could move some furniture to his new apartment later in the evening. Hardister said he was "trying to catch a couple of hours of sleep in the parking lot before going to work," but he didn't know that the truck was stolen.

When the officer asked Hardister about the damage to the front of the truck, Hardister said he didn't know how it happened, the report said.

Hardister remained in a Palm Beach County jail Wednesday on a $4,500 bond.